The head of the African Union, Senegal's President Macky Sall, is travelling to Russia to discuss the food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
President Sall's office said the visit was aimed at freeing up stocks of cereals and fertilisers that are currently blocked in Ukrainian ports.
African countries have been particularly affected by the price increases caused by the war.
President Sall is due to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Friday.
BBC